Master’s degree – Sustainable Cities and Communities

  • Master’s degree – Sustainable Cities and Communities
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    • Information

    • Extend of the study programme : 120 ects

      Planned duration : 2 academic years

      EC2U student fees:€ 1.500,00/year for EU students and € 3.770,00/year for non-EU students

      Language: English

      Application period: opening 1st March

    About the Master's Degree

    Objective

    The European Union’s policy plans and targets for Sustainable Development together with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are creating a demand for an ever larger number of experts in Sustainability areas.
    Focused on the SDG 11, the EC2U Joint Master’s Degree “Sustainable Cities and Communities” is a 2-year Master’s Programme (4 semesters, 30 ECTS each, 120 ECTS in total) that aims to train future national and international professionals with diverse backgrounds in the fields of environment, energy, urban planning and natural resources. This degree is aligned with professional practice and will ensure that students develop instrumental skills in analysis and synthesis, solving and planning. Graduates will launch their career with advanced knowledge in the field of sustainable cities and communities.

     

    A new university to discover each semester!

    The EC2U Campus provides students with the opportunity to study abroad, develop multicultural experiences, and expand their professional network. Over the course of their learning journey, students will have the opportunity to study in up to 4 of the 7 EC2U universities.

     

    A degree tailored to students’ needs

    Students will be able to personalise their curriculum: they will choose their study plan in accordance with the course catalogue provided by the universities they’ll be studying at.

    Webinar

    Watch the webinar introducing the teachers, administrative staff and students for this Masters here.

    Application

    How to apply

    Students may apply via this platform (hosted by the University of Coimbra) and the exact Applications Calendar for the next academic year is here.

    Application periods

    Rankings/Admission

    Registration
    For EU & non-EU students

    March – April

    April

    May

    (opened only in case of available seats)

    June- July

    July

    September

    (opened only in case of available seats)

    September

    September

    October

    * Non-EU students who may need to manage a VISA process are strongly encouraged to apply in the first Applications period to start the academic year on time.

    ► Find out the complete overview of the admission call here

    Admission requirements

    • In order to apply for the Master’s Programme, students should have a bachelor degree (or recognised equivalent) in one of the following areas: exact and natural sciences, life sciences, earth sciences, engineering, architecture, economics and management, and other social sciences relevant for the sustainable cities theme, or have a scientific technical curriculum that can be assessed equivalent to the Bachelor Degree in areas similar to those previously listed.
    • English Language certification: B2 level, defined according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), is required, except for an applicant with a previous University Degree (Bachelor, Master or Doctorate) delivered in English.

    Documents to provide

    1. Bachelor’s diploma
    2. Transcript of records
    3. Proof of the required languages’ knowledge
    4. Curriculum Vitae
    5. Motivation Letter

    Additional documents might be required according to national regulations of Consortium Institutions as detailed in the application call.

    For any non-EU students residing outside Europe, please check the visa requirements, if any, on the University website where they will be spending the first semester.

    Selection criteria

    Criteria Points from Admission Committee
    Transcript of records Up to 50
    Knowledge of languages Up to 20
    Motivation letter and European Standard CV (Europass) Up to 30
    Total Up to 100

     

    All eligible applications will be evaluated jointly by the joint Admission Committee according to the evaluation criteria table and the first ranked 20 students will be admitted in compliance with national regulations.

    Enrolment

    The students that have passed the selection for admission will be enrolled in all the Universities chosen in the study plan where the Master’s Degree is accredited.

    EC2U student fees must be paid at the University of Coimbra, the administrative coordinator Institution.

    Relevant information on how to enroll will be provided to the admitted candidates via email to the address they provided during the application process.

    Transfer or Second Degree

    Students asking for a transfer from other Master’s degrees or for enrollment to a second degree will have to submit the online application and pass with a positive mark the selection phase according to the rules reported in Section “Selection criteria”. The Global Admission Committee will evaluate the student’s previous academic career in order to assess a recognition of academic curriculum and proceed with enrolment at first or second year of the Master’s programme.

    The applicant should specify this request during the application procedure.

    Programme structure

    This Master’s Degree is offered jointly by three European universities which are rooted in the tradition of excellence:

    – University of Coimbra (Portugal)

    – University of Poitiers (France)

    – University of Turku (Finland)

    In partnership with:

    – University of Pavia (Italy)

    – University of Jena (Germany)

    – University of Salamanca (Spain)

    – Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi (Romania)

     

    These universities provide students with personalised attention throughout their studies and a unique campus and student life.

    This Joint Master’s Degree is tailored to students’ needs and offers them the opportunity to personalise their learning path in an international environment.

     

    Study plan

    Students define the rest of the study plan in accordance with the course catalogue provided by the chosen universities. The fourth semester is reserved for thesis preparation, related learning and research activities. An Erasmus mobility program to any of the four other universities of the EC2U Alliance is also possible during the last semester.

    SEMESTER SUBJECTS ECTS MODALITY
    Semester 1 Introduction to Sustainable Cities and Communities 6 ECTS Mandatory
    Research Methodologies 6 ECTS Mandatory
    Elective courses 18 ECTS 3 courses to be selected in the catalogue
    Semester 2 Governance of Sustainable Cities and Societ 6 ECTS Mandatory
    Innovation and Entrepreneurship 6 ECTS Mandatory
    Elective courses 18 ECTS 4 courses to be selected in the catalogue
    Semester 3 Dissertation Project 6 ECTS Mandatory
    Scientific Writing and Communication 6 ECTS Mandatory
    Elective courses 18 ECTS 3 courses to be selected in the catalogue
    Semester 4 Master’s thesis 30 ECTS

     

    Final degree and joint recognition

    a) Each student who successfully completes the Master’s Programme shall receive a Multilateral Master’s Degree Diploma issued by all the universities at which the student accomplished the minimum national academic requirements, provided that full accreditation has already taken place. The Diplomas will be issued and registered according to national/local regulations.

     

    b) The number of diploma certificates depends on the number of universities where the student accomplished the minimum national academic requirements. Since it is a Multilateral Master’s Degree, each university involved will deliver to the student the Degree in their local language.

     

    c) In addition to the Multilateral Master’s degrees, each student shall receive:

    • A joint certificate from the EC2U Alliance;
    • The transcript of records (ToR) listing the course units taken, the exams passed and the credits gained by the student.
    • A diploma supplement presenting the details of the student’s academic programme and academic achievement converted to a common grading system, following the template developed by the European Commission, the Council of Europe and UNESCO/CEPES and adapted to any further specifications in national legislation where applicable.

     

    d) The Leading Institution, the University of Coimbra, is responsible for delivering the joint certificate from the EC2U Alliance to the student.

    Thesis regulation

    a) The Master’s thesis will be in the form of bilateral or multilateral supervision between at least two Professors of two different Consortium Institutions. The selection of the supervisors is made by the student among one Professor of the Fourth Semester University (1st supervisor) and one or more Professors involved in the Degree Programme (2nd or 3rd supervisor). Students may consult the thesis with other specialists (example: the supervisor of the internship, if the student decides to have a more professional oriented dissertation). The author of the Master’s thesis can decide to publish the thesis online after consultation and with the permission of the supervisors.

    b) Students will choose between a research Master thesis and a more professional-oriented dissertation, resulting from students’ internships in research and professional environments, to be selected from a pocket of protocols with private and public, local and national agencies/organisations in the fields of administration, research centres, health and social care, health and well-being, city’s organisations and other recognised organisations related to the studied area, agreed with the supervisors, across the consortium’s institutions.

    c) The thesis has to be written in English and has to comply with the requirements of the Programme and with the rules of the Fourth Semester University.

    Mobility scheme

    Career Opportunities

    Career Opportunities

    The learning outcomes are valued by employers and this programme equips students for a wide range of careers:

    • Eco-consultant,
    • Manager in sustainable development,
    • Teacher-researcher,
    • Urban planner,
    • Architecture and/or engineering practitioner,
    • Policy or decision-maker at the urban level

    EC2U Student fees and scholarships

    The EC2U student fees are € 1.500,00/year for EU students and € 3.770,00/year for non-EU students.

    They include : local fees, legal liability insurance, library and laboratory costs and any other mandatory cost related to the students’ participation in the Degree Programme for the standard duration of the Degree Programme, support in administrative and organisational issues by the Consortium Partners, costs for enrolment, all examinations and the issuing of supplement documents of the final Diploma.

    What’s not included in the student fees: diploma issuing fee when locally required, accommodation, health insurance, travel to and from partner, subsistence and travel documents (visa, passport, costs for legalisation of documents) included within the framework of the mobility programme or any costs beyond the standard duration of the Degree Programme.

    Students can apply for the Erasmus mobility grant when completing a semester abroad in one of the Partner universities. They can contact the International Relations Office of their university for more information.

    Practical details

    Contact

    University of Coimbra

    Contact : dri@uc.pt 

    All information regarding services provided to students and applicable conditions can be found here: https://www.uc.pt/international-applicants

    University Alexandru Ioan Cuza of Iasi

    Contact: relint@uaic.ro 

    All information regarding services provided to students and applicable conditions can be found here: https://www.uaic.ro/en/international/erasmus-programme/erasmus-incoming-students/

    University Friedrich Schiller of Jena

    Contact : incoming@uni-jena.de

    All information regarding services provided to students and applicable conditions can be found here: https://www.uni-jena.de/Studium+international

    University of Poitiers

    Contact : ec2u@univ-poitiers.fr 

    All information regarding services provided to students and applicable conditions can be found here: https://www.univ-poitiers.fr/en/international-students-scholars/

    University of Salamanca

    Contact : rrii@usal.es

    All information regarding services provided to students and applicable conditions can be found here: https://rel-int.usal.es/es/module-variations/estudiantes- extranjeros/informacion-para-estudiantes-de-movilidad-entrantes

    University of Turku

    Contact : admissions@utu.fi

    All information regarding services provided to students and applicable conditions can be found here: https://www.utu.fi/en/study-at-utu/accepted-students

    Academic calendar

    First semester: fall season Second semester: spring season
    Third semester: fall season Fourth semester: spring season
    Graduation date: based on the academic calendar of the university where students spend the fourth semester